


Day One: [Unrequited]/Astral Plane

by Alyssa_85



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, Sheith Angst Week 2018, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-03 01:26:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15808512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyssa_85/pseuds/Alyssa_85
Summary: Keith is in love with Shiro, Shiro doesn't feel the same.





	Day One: [Unrequited]/Astral Plane

Keith was sixteen when he met the love of his life. Shiro was twenty-two. Keith had only known him a short while, Shiro came to his school to recruit teenagers for the Garrison. Keith wasn't interested. Not until Shiro egged him on, convinced him he could be the world. Do great things. That was the first time Keith felt his heart skip. So he stole his car. He thought Shiro would be mad, would reprimand him for it, but he didn't. Shiro laughed. Angelic.

Keith was seventeen when he felt his first heartbreak. He had been waiting for Shiro in Shiro's office, he'd never been there alone. It gave him a chance to look around. He glanced at the photos on Shiro's walls, his desk, his shelves. One person stood out. Adam. Adam was Shiro's flying partner, Keith knew him well. Got along with him even. Keith took in the several photo frames, all with different shots of Shiro and Adam. Arms around each other. Happy. A smile on Shiro's lips that had never been directed at Keith. Anger spread through him like a wildfire. He lashed out, fist smashing into one of the photos on a shelf, glass shattering around him. He ignored the glass in his fist as he left the room.

Before he knew, Keith could see them as just close friends. A little touchy-feely. But he knew now. He knew Adam and Shiro were more than friends. The little hand touches, shy glances, footsies under the table, none of them went unmissed by Keith. He watched them from his cadet table, disgust written across his face.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," James teased, following Keith's eyeline. "You're just a kid as if he'd ever look at you." Keith lost it, slamming his fist into James' face. It was Shiro that pulled them apart, arms around Keith's waist, keeping him on the ground. "Close as you're going to get," James snarled, brushing himself down.

Shiro doesn't give Keith a chance to retaliate, pulling him away and out of the cafeteria. Adam is already waiting for them outside, concern evident on his face. "What happened, Keith?" He asked, taking Keith's hand to look at his knuckles, Keith snatched his hand away.

"Don't touch me," he snapped, taking a step closer to Shiro, back making contact with his chest. Shiro clears his throat.

"You're already bandaged up, what happened to your hand?" Shiro took Keith's hand, examining the bandages. He undid them. "You have glass in your hand, Keith, why haven't you been the infirmary about this? Or even come to me! You could get an infection."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Wasn't there glass in your office the other day, Takashi?"

Keith panicked. He yanked his hand away. "What's that got to do with me? I dropped a photo of my dad, that's all. I didn't smash a photo frame in Shiro's office!"

"I didn't say anything about a photo frame, Keith."

Keith bit his lip. "Fuck off!" Keith took off in a run.

"I should go after him." Shiro sighed. "I don't want to believe Keith would vandalise something in my office, I thought I'd done enough for that kid for that behaviour to stop."

"Sometimes there's nothing you can do for a troublemaker."

"I have to try though, right?"

"It's on your head, Takashi."

"I vouched for him. I'm the reason he's here, I can't just abandon him now."

"You're too nice for your own good."

Shiro smiled before running down the same corridor Keith did. It didn't take him long to find the young cadet. Keith looked up at him guiltily. "Hi."

"Hey." He sat down opposite him. "So, was it you?"

"Would lying help me now?"

"I can't imagine so, no."

"Then yeah, it was me."

Shiro shook his head. "Why, Keith?"

Keith bit his lip, refusing eye contact. "I don't know. I hate the way you smile in them. Like you're the happiest you've ever been. You never smile like that with me."

"Adam, he's my…"

"Boyfriend? Yeah, I figured."

Shiro blushed, his cheeks going a deep shade of red. "You figured i-" Shiro's cut off by Keith flinging himself at him, their mouths brushing for a split second before Shiro pushed him off, holding Keith at arm's length. "What are you doing?!"

"I love you! I love you! I love you!" Keith screamed, tears filling his eyes. "You couldn't have just denied it?" He felt the tears dripping down his face. "I'm such a fucking idiot! I thought because you're so nice to me, you took an interest in me! I thought you liked me back! I'm so stupid."

Shiro stared at him. "Keith… you're just a kid. I couldn't feel that way about you."

"N-not even a little?" Keith rubbed at his eyes angrily. "I can wait. Wait for me to be a little older, eighteen, it's legal then, right?"

"Keith, I care about you, I do, but like… not in that way. I couldn't. You're just a kid. I see you as a kid brother, someone I have to protect. Keep in line. I will never see you as more."

Keith nodded, pulling himself out of Shiro's grip. "Stop giving me special treatment then. I don't need your protection. I'll be fine. I've always been fine on my own." Keith could feel his lip twitch, more tears threatening to fall. "I'm used to it."

Shiro looked at him with stern eyes. "Now listen here, Keith, you're not on your own. Just because I don't feel the same way you do, doesn't mean I don't care. Doesn't mean I'm going anywhere. I'm right here. I'm your mentor, the way it's been for the past year. I'm sorry if I gave you the impression we'd ever be more, that was never my intention."

Keith sighed. "I can't just turn my feelings off, Shiro. I love you. That isn't going away."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Keith didn't say anything else as he walked away. Shiro leant back against the bark of the tree they were sitting below. He should have known something was up. He should have been more careful. Kids like Keith get attached, he knew that. He used to be like Keith once. He used to be the scared little boy who fell for the first person who was nice to him. Keith loved him, and he knew first how hard first loves are to get rid of. Shiro just hoped Keith would someday soon meet his very own Adam.

* * *

 

_xx years later_

_I love you._ Shiro remembered the words like they were yesterday. Seventeen-year-old Keith saying them between his tears. This was different though. Keith was grown up. Twenty-two himself after his time on the space whale. He was different. He'd risked his life more times than Shiro could count to save him. Shiro was different too. He's been stuck inside Black for a long time, watching over the man he'd known since he was a child. Falling in love with him.

Shiro opened his eyes, Keith above him. He was free. Back in his own body, even if it wasn't his original one. And Keith was there. He was always there. Ready to cradle him, ready to softly hold him through everything.

"I love you too, Keith," he said, voice raw and Keith's eyes widen. "I love you too."

Keith grinned, leaning down and kissing him softly, ignoring the cheers around them. Shiro was home. He was back, and Keith couldn't be happier.


End file.
